JENN McKINLAY: Apparently, August 8th is the International Day of the Cat. This seems only fitting then that this is my week to host the blog since this has truly been the summer of the cat.
It started so innocently...
This guy who we call Shackleton because much like the polar explorer, he is brave but dumb (I don't really know if Ernest Shackleton was dumb so much as he was overly optimistic about his outcomes) and the name certainly fits this little fellow who is afraid of nothing...nothing! This video is our first meeting when he was three weeks old and just trotted right up to me and demanded my attention.
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| Shack Attack!!! |
He got it! Once I saw his fam - a very young Mama and FOUR kittens - I felt like I needed to help her out - it takes a village, after all - and so I began feeding them twice per day in our side yard where she'd decided to hunker down, bringing toys, etc. You know, typical Auntie stuff.
Then it became apparent that we were going to need to step up and find them homes because street cat life is hard and we wanted more for them than that. I started feeding them in a cat carrier and one day (when they were about 10 weeks old) they all piled in to eat and I just shut the door. Mama watched me and (I swear) she gave me the slowest blink ever. I like to think it was her way of saying, "I trust you." I told her she was a great mom and promised that her kittens would have happy loving homes.
Since Hooligan 2 had moved out to go to college, we had his vacant bedroom and it became the kitten room. One of the kittens, who resembles a beige tiger, did not come out from under the bed for two weeks. I was certain we'd have to neuter him and release him back into the wild. Yeah, no...
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| Shh, don't wake the baby! |
Named El Tigre because he was all teeth and claws, he has become the biggest Mama's boy in the house. Seriously, I am shocked.
One of the four rescues was adopted. See? I'm not totally hopeless! We called him Danny (short for Danger! because every time he saw me when he was tiny, he'd puff up and scamper away as if shouting "Danger!") His new mom dotes on him and sends us pictures and videos. His new name is Max :)
And then there is Wynona. Small but mighty. She keeps up with her bigger brothers and is the fiercest hunter of the three - look out crickets! She was almost adopted but the cat in the house she was to go to was not having it. I was secretly relieved. I mean just look at that face!
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| She's modeling a post surgery sock-onesie, which I learned from mystery writer Tammy Kaehler, who also rescues and fosters kittens if you need a cute FB follow. |
Sometimes the universe just knows what you need. It's been tough around here entering empty nest land. While I did push the Hooligans out of the nest, I've missed the yelling, wrestling, farting (okay, not that one so much) that was daily life with young men. Now I have these three scamps, who make us laugh every day. The Trips (short for triplets) have blended into our home seamlessly - all of our other pets are equally amused by them - so obviously we're a monster foster fail and the remaining three are staying.
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| Hub is a spectacular cat daddy! |
Presently, we have two dogs, one fish, and six cats in the house. How many felines makes you an official cat lady? Does it have to be in the double digits? Or do I just need to always be covered in cat hair and constantly showing everyone I meet pictures of my cats?
All right, Reds, who else is a cat lover in the group? How many do you have (or have had)? If you’re not a cat lover, what is your pet of choice and no pets is a perfectly acceptable answer, in fact, I envy your sanity. Also, if anyone wants a cat, I can help you out! Just sayin’.
LUCY BURDETTE: Raising hand here, I am a cat lady. I don’t think you have to go higher than six, Jenn, lol. The highest number I had was nine and it was too many! They began to turn on each other. But one at a time, I love cats! You’ve already met my T-bone, most handsome cat ever!
HALLIE EPHRON: Raising both hands here. I don’t have any but I adore cats. Jerry and I had a pair of stinkers when we lived in NY. Black and white cats that we got when they were tiny abandoned kittens and then had to give away when my cat allergy put me in the hospital.
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| Three Little Kittens Lost Their Mittens - Jerry Touger |
HANK PHILLIPI RYAN: Oh, yes, love them. SO much. They are endlessly hilarious, and so smart, such good role models for self-care. :-) When I was a kid, and living essentially in the most rural of places, we had…the gorgeous all-white Rosemary, and Rosemary's babies, named F. Scott and Zelda. At the same time, a feral cat called Picnic,and my darling Mrs. Purdy, who had kittens in my closet on the first day of school. But as a family of maybe 5 people at the time, that’s kinda only one each. So I figure you can do cat math and allocation. And as an adult, I’ve only had two at once, and I hesitated at that for the very reason you mention. But then, stray Leon, (who I found when I was out jogging and was about to go to the shelter to prevent me from being a cat lady), was so ridiculously adorable that I could not resist. Even though my Lola did not acknowledge his existence for the 14 years they shared an apartment.
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| Jonathan and Lola, clearly a creature from another planet. Lola I mean. Circa 1995. |
(Oh and I just saw this on Twitter: “Here's a common scam that is going around that you should know about: Sometimes cats will meow at you like they haven't been fed, but in fact someone DID feed them and they're just trying to get fed again.”)
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Jenn, I've been following your kittens with absolute delight. And, yes, I am a cat lover. Dogs, too, but I can't imagine life without cats. They are endlessly amusing, and anyone who thinks cats aren't affectionate must never have owned (or been owned BY) one. We are now a two-tabby household, as we lost our little tuxedo guy to kidney disease just recently. Yasu is the Tail-less One–she was found badly injured as a kitten and her tail had to be amputated, after which she came to live with us. Lucy was a neighborhood cat who adopted us, and we are the most doting cat humans ever. I think we have an invisible sign on our door that says "Suckers here!"
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| YASU |
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| LUCY |
RHYS BOWEN: We only had one cat. He was a big orange male who adopted us when we had to live in a rented house after moving back to CA from Texas. Absolutely adorable. He walked the kids to school in the mornings, would come running beside my car when I turned into our street and wanted to be in on all our activities including sitting on the board or in the box when we played board games. He was the most lovable and loving animal ever and I still miss him.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Oh, yeah. We never had cats when I was growing up, and the few dogs wound up going to other good homes because when you suddenly get posted to another country, what else do you do? (Dogs and military life can be hard to mix.) But when I got married, it was to Ross and his cat, Big Mac, who was at our wedding! Since then, we've had a one or two cat household. Mac was followed by Georgie, who bit everyone and then ran away within a few months, followed by Anastasia, then Juno (who we thought had scabs and missing hair from a hard life on the street, but who turned out instead to have allergies requiring expensive shots and pricey allergen-free food.)
Our senior-most pet is Neko, Anastasia's sister, who is a sleek and healthy twelve. Her special role in the house is to lay next to me on my desk while I'm writing, interrupt me for skritches, and shed enough hair so I have to get my laptop professionally cleaned periodically.
How about you, Readers? Cat lover or no? Tell us about your felines!
Over the years, our family has included some wonderful kitties . . . I think four is the most we’ve had at any one time . . . . We always had dogs, but the girls rescued three kittens one summer and that was that . . . .we wer officially cat people.
ReplyDeleteYes! That's exactly how it happens. I'd never even been near a cat until my college roommate brought home a kitten, who became mine...because of course he did.
DeleteI've had a cat or two since I moved to the Boston area forty years ago. The most I've had is four. I brought Athena and Birdy when I combined households with Hugh, and he had Preston and Christabel. All four are gone now, and I think I miss my little tuxedo Birdy the most. Always curious, always happy to be picked up and carried around, always sure something better was on the other side of that door. But he lives on in the Country Store mysteries.
ReplyDeleteNow, having had to return pandemic kitten Ganesh after he developed an incurable biting habit, we have gentle Martin, who loves chasing a tennis ball but isn't much of a cuddler. Sometimes he keeps me company in my office, too.
I should add that I am mildly allergic to my own cat. When we had the four, with three of them being long-hairs, and the doors and windows were shut after the weather got cold, I had to ramp up my asthma meds during the winter some years in a row. And I always have to be sure not to touch my eyes with bare fingers. But one indoor short-hair is totally manageable.
DeleteHub is asthmatic, too, but I think I broke him down to full resistence with my first cat, the two after that, then the one kitten, and now the trips. Poor Hub.
DeleteI grew up in a cat family but alas the allergens keep them from me at home.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is very allergic. We have to de-dander her room when she visits.
DeleteI have only ever had dogs, one at a time. I do love cats, however and if I visit you, your cat, who NEVER goes to anyone else, will be in my lap by the end of the visit. LOL
ReplyDeleteYUP! Just like Lola and Jonathan. She never liked anyone but me, until allergic-Jonathan showed up, and she was his best friend.
DeleteThat's my mom. Very allergic but they LOVE her.
DeleteJENN: I have enjoyed watching the Trips virtually. Like others, allergies keep from having any cute kitties at home.
ReplyDeleteVirtual might be the best way *Jenn's pulls Tig out of the garbage for the third time* LOL.
DeleteMost everyone knows Koda, the most feline dog on the planet (seriously, the dude has very cat-like behaviors). I adore him, of course. Before Koda there was Casey, who was some sort of beagle-lab mix with a crooked toe. The Girl claims Casey as hers and I can't say she is wrong. He loved us all but he doted on her, right from the moment she came home.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things The Girl did when she moved in with The Very Nice Boyfriend was adopt a cat, a little black one she named Crumb. Crumb is skittish around new people, but warms up - eventually.
We can't have cats because The Hubby has allergies, but we seem to attract them. Even though we don't feed them. The neighbors moved to Florida and left Zeke, their outdoor cat, behind. Based on the hair, we think Zeke sleeps on our front porch (although he doesn't come around the back much when Koda is out). Even at the new house there is a stray who keeps coming around. We know the previous owner fed it. It's been almost a month and the cat still strolls by, very affectionately looking for food.
I love the name Crumb - adorbs!
DeleteCat lady, for sure. Jenn, I think it's like the hobos of yore, who would leave signs behind for those who followed--which houses were friendly and good for a meal. We have four rescues inside, then took care of a small little girl outside who wouldn't come to us for pets, but brought her first litter of four kittens to us. We managed to get one adopted (broke older nephew's heart) and still have three with us. The mama, Sadiebelle, still comes occasionally to eat or leave a gift. The daddy cat comes by too, as does a little yellow stray who was wearing a collar when it first showed up. This one is very humble and polite and will wait ever so patiently until the 'kittens' are finished eating before it approaches the pans. We had Sadiebelle fixed, her only daughter fixed, and so far, one of the boys neutered. The three kittens would be in the house already if there weren't four resident cats. The little female, especially--if she ever jumps in my lap and curls up--even once--it will be game over. And Deborah, sorry for the loss of your tuxedo kitty. And Lucy, yes, T-Bone is a VERY handsome young man. And Jenn, oh those kitten antics! Thanks for sharing the videos and photos!
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot to add, I love Jerry's cartoon, Hallie. Thanks for sharing! And, Hank, well, Lola--Queen of all she surveys!
DeleteExactly! Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.
DeleteThanks so much, Flora. He was a sweetie.
DeleteYes! I keep looking for the sign but I can't find it. LOL.
DeleteJenn: I love the stories and the videos of the Trips, so cute!!
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a dog person now, but my first real pet was a cat. I was in the process of moving out of a house I had shared with wonderful roommates and into my first ever by-myself apartment across town. I took my last load of stuff out to the car and 4 tiny kitties came running up, meowing loudly. My friend Danae came out and immediately brought them into the house and started taking care of them, bottle feeding them, etc. This is just the way she is--a complete and total animal lover and friend to lost creatures. She took them to a vet appointment and, a few weeks later, started looking for homes. I of course wanted one, so I ended up with a small black male, whom I named Justin. A few months later, it was time to neuter Justin. I took him to the vet and soon received a phone call that "he" was pregnant. The vet was laughing, although the difference in price for the procedure wasn't so funny to me. I continued to call her Justin and she was a wonderful (if occasionally bitey) part of my life for about 12 years.
Aw, that's hilarious. Our Wynonna was Waylon until we found out differently.
Delete"...two dogs, one fish, and six cats in the house" Wow! this is amazing that you are a "zoo keeper" as well as a writer! I mean this with the utmost respect too!
ReplyDeleteTotal zookeeper. In fact, H1's plus one works at the Zoo (future zookeeper) and can confirm - especially as we do all this crazy enrichment stuff for our pets. I want to be my own pet in my next life.
DeleteI may win this one. As I mentioned a few days ago, part of my dowry was The Cutest Cat in the Whole Wide World – my third cat of all time. The first childhood cat lived a long and happy life. My father managed to confiscate my 2nd cat, as he fed it Temptations all the time and even taught our blind terrier to wait for the cat to toss some to him! What could I do, I couldn’t take MY cat away from them? The Cutest Cat was #3. When we married Jack had a girl cat named Mike (ugly and old and she stunk – she lived forever!). We gave our daughter a kitten for her 4th birthday. The cat begat kittens (too slow getting to the vet!), one of which went to my son, as he was now 4. (Are you keeping count – up to 4 cats, now…) Someone threw a kitten out the window in front of her kids (don’t get me started), which we scooped up, defleaed and of course kept.
ReplyDeleteThings happen, time passes and we lived in farm territory on a dead-end road halfway between Montreal and Ottawa. Yup, you guessed it – in September/October we always were ‘left with’ unwanted teenage kittens and sometimes dogs – tied to a bridge with his blankie if you can believe the heartlessness of it. Jack even brought home what he thought was a racoon in the middle of the road in the middle of the winter – it was a pregnant older kitten. 1 Cat soon became 5.
Neighbours brought us cats – one had been taken for a drive/scrape under a car – his paws and belly were so badly road-rashed and filled with maggots that we wondered if he would live. He was the ugliest fighter I have ever seen – scars, ripped ears, to go with his car mishap. He was also a lover, and would drool all over you if you cuddled him as he had no teeth. He soon had no boy parts and lived out his life with us – called Ugly.
At one point we had 17 cats in the house, 2 old English sheep dogs, 1 lop rabbit, some fish and a turtle. Oh yes and a raccoon (one of three over the years), and the occasional duck. Tristan would bring in the baby ducks to sleep with and more times than not the poor little duck left – flat. Then there was the used pot-bellied pig named Rose that Jack gave me for my birthday – he (Jack not the pig) really has not much sense.
I think we are up to a count of about 40 animals in our marriage. All were spayed or neutered. Unfortunately, none of our kids were vets, so it always cost money. Last year we lost 4 cats in less than a year. The house felt empty. Last spring we got our first two kittens in forever – two little boys Pip & Squeak. We love them and all their foolishness. It boosted our current count to 8. This spring a friend asked us to take in a female who was left behind. She is under house arrest as I speak, as she is in heat and singing at the top of her lungs. Spay date is Aug 30.
However, I would really like a girl-kitten….
WOW. (Pip and Squeak is adorable...)
DeleteMargo, I think you definitely win!!
DeleteWinner!!! You have me beat and now I feel like I'm perfectly normal. Thank you.
DeleteOh Jenn, I knew, without a doubt, you would end up keeping them! What about the Mama; were you able to get her to a vet?
ReplyDeleteThe most cats I've had at one time is 3 and that is my limit. When I was down to only one I decided to get a kitten to be company for her. I wound up getting 2, brother and sister and they were as good as the circus together, although my older cat never wanted anything to do with them. She barely tolerated them until she died, eight years later. So now there is just Rosie and Rowdy and one dog, Sunny. Rowdy never makes a sound and Rosie, who has finally got a littler braver is very vocal, very loud and often. Mostly I think it means, pet me, tickle my belly, no, don't stop!
Rowdy and Rosie -- awwww. Love it. Tig is our orator - LOL. Never enough food, love, pets, etc. And to think I thought he'd never be tame.
DeleteWe never had cats when I was growing up, and we didn't even know anyone who did, so I had no idea I was deathly allergic to them until I was pregnant with my oldest daughter. My little brother got a kitten, and while we were visiting them I started getting extreme reactions. Also, that was the craziest kitten: it would climb around, upside down, under my mom's couch, clinging to the lining under the seat.
ReplyDeleteThrough the years I learned how to navigate friend's cats' environments without triggering the anaphylactic shock I went into when trying to sleep in a bed where a cat usually did. (Oh, that was a fun night. Not. I ended up spending half the night on the bathroom floor with the door closed.) Cats LOVE me, naturally, the imps. I learned to ignore them, to keep my legs crossed so they wouldn't jump in my lap, and to both avoid touching anything the cat may have touched, and to never, ever touch my face while in one's living space. It's not very relaxing, frankly. LOL
We did have a cat for a year when the kids were in elementary school, a pretty little marmalade kitten that basically adopted us in the middle of a blizzard. The girls were delighted, and insisted we keep it, so I enlisted a friend to take the kitten to the vet for shots and neutering, and who lent us an insulated cat house so it could live on the porch. The girls named her Peaches 'N Cream Tiger Lily Maslowski, which still cracks me up. It was their one and only cat, so she had to have all the names, you know.
One day the cat was just no longer there. Steve had left on a long trip, with lots of emotion from the girls, and the cat was nowhere to be found. We thought it had maybe hitched a ride, but we never knew for sure. Many years later the middle daughter confessed that she had taken Peaches into the house once, just to "show her around". She now has Ella, the very beautiful "blind" and "deaf" Siamese. Who once let a rat into her house and onto her bed. And then just sat and watched while poor Robin tried to get rid of it.
That is terrifying. So glad you figured it out. I hate it when pets go missing. It's the unanswered what happened that is heartbreaking.
DeleteOh, we never did find her again. The visit inside the house was a forbidden one before Peaches went missing.
DeleteWe thought we spotted her many times after that, but it was never her.
I am a total cat lady. It's only my husband's insistence on "ONLY ONE" that keeps me from picking up and keeping every darling fur baby I encounter. Also, my beloved Kensi Kitty is so happy and content being an only child, I don't want to rock her boat now that she's entered her "senior years."
ReplyDeleteAt one time, we had over THIRTY cats, but those were all outdoor barn kitties when we had horses. Now there are coyotes, so there will be no more outdoor cats. (Don't tell my husband I put out food for a couple of strays who roam the countryside around our house.)
Neither the Hub nor I have the ability to set limits. We need a 12 step program, clearly.
DeleteAllergies, so no cats here. But your stories are all entertaining. And my eyes are beginning to itch.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
LOL!!! Virtual allergies. It's a thing.
DeleteIn honor of International Cat Day: Go to Google. Type cat. Click on the paw icon. Then keep tapping the screen.
ReplyDeleteOoh, trying that!
DeleteSO funny! And so silly! I had to drag myself away.... Who thinks of these things? Who codes them???
DeleteMy cats and dogs are going "what the???" So funny!
DeleteHow clever! This is my work environment every day since the trips arrived. LOL!
DeleteI never know if Num Lock or Caps Lock on keyboard are on or off because, well, cats....
DeleteThat's so funny!
DeleteWe have 2, Finn and Ronan
ReplyDeleteFine Irish names :)
DeleteNo more cats for me. I discovered the allergy when we owned 2, named, with great imagination, "Kitty" and "Li'l Cat." I am more of a dog person anyway. Aforementioned allergy is one of the reasons I own a poodle and even though I am a one-at-a-time person, I can talk forever about dogs. I think I qualify as a crazy pet lady.
ReplyDeleteAll of our madness started with a standard poodle named Lucy...just sayin'.
DeleteLove everyone's stories!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! So heartwarming and hilarious.
DeleteGotta love the intrepid Shackleton, and all his kitty kin! I used to feed and observe a small colony of barn cats when I lived out in the country, and inevitably some of them decided that inside the house was better than outside. Four of them came to stay forever over the years after Warren died. Only Ella is still with me, at the elegant age of 13. When I adopted her, bringing my critter count to three dogs and four cats, a wise friend told me that I would not become a crazy cat lady until I had at least eight cats in the house, and none of them were spayed or neutered. So rest easy, Jenn. You don't live on Crazy Cat Lady Lane yet, although you might be just a block or two around the corner.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I think we'll be okay. Crazy cat lady adjacent since our two old gals (18 in January) are waning and decisions will have to be made soon. *sigh*
DeleteYou have my sympathy. I hate decisions like that.
DeleteI knew those babies would end up staying, Jenn. I would be a total cat lady if my family allowed it. We had various cats growing up, Pirate, Licorice, Tinkerbell, Ricci. We just lost Princess Tubby Tatiana Fluffmuffin Snugglepuff at almost 18 years old. The whole household is still a wreck over this because she was the Best Cat Ever. Sweet, smart and so cuddly. Friends with allergies, Maine Coons are one of the most hypoallergenic cat breeds. I know that sounds crazy with all the hair they have but my sister is violently allergic and Tubby never bothered her one bit. She was Tub’s #1 human and favorite lap. My aunt and other friends with allergies were also fine around Tubby. She had no dander.
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote all this the neighbor cat Lola was yelling at my door. She seems to suddenly want to live at our house and tries to come inside. I keep gently telling her that she lives 2 houses down.
DeleteHa ha! We have a Maine Coon (Tom) who lives in our front yard. I feed him twice a day and he'll rub against my legs but won't let me pet him. Boundaries. :)
DeleteI don't think I've ever not had at least one cat. Currently I'm owned by a tuxedo, Liam (Neeson) and a orange and white tabby with yellow eyes, Sebastian (named for C.S. Harris' character, Sebastian St. Cyr). I cannot imagine life without a cat!
ReplyDeleteOMG - Does Candy know you named your cat after Sebastian (he's my book boyfriend, fyi)?
DeleteYes, she does. I have to admit roof a serious crush for Discount Devlin 😁
DeleteAnd, my next Newfoundland dog will be named Hero 😁
DeleteI'm allergic to cats, or I'm sure I would have one.
ReplyDeleteI think you only have to worry about being a crazy cat lady if you have conversations with people who only live in your imagination, so I'm sure you're fine. Oh, wait.... ;)
LOL!!! I'm in trouble. Marty! Oz! Stop that! :)
DeleteI'm not a cat person, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate their cuteness and their uniqueness. And, I couldn't resist the little kitten that showed up when we first moved into our house where we've now lived for 34 years. Salty lived 22 years, but I had to limit my exposure to her because I am allergic, not the worst allergic but allergic. She lived in the TV room mostly and outside quite a bit. But the kids loved her.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are dog people. I had a dog part of when I was growing up. Spot (wasn't I a creative dog namer) disappeared three or four years after I got him, and we think he was stolen. My husband had English Setters and German Short-Hairs growing up. When we got married, we started with Barry, our Cocker-Spaniel, our dog baby before we had human babies. Anyway, several other wonderful doggies over the years and now Lulu, our rescue Brittany Spaniel. Lulu seems fine around cats, as when we visit my daughter and family, their cats don't seem to bother Lulu.
Jenn, the Trips are adorable, and I'm so glad they found a home with you. What happened to the mama cat? Debs, sorry about your sweet little guy. Hallie, I always love seeing drawing by Jerry. Lucy, I remember when you were looking for a cat adopted T-Bone. And, of course, I love the kitties in Hayley's and Miss Gloria's lives. Hank, that cat scam that's going around has a dog version, too. Hahaha! Julia, did Big Mac have a particular role in your wedding?
Mama still shows up for a random meal every now and again. We're trying to catch her to neuter her but since it's 100,000 degrees in AZ, we have to wait until it's cooler so she's not stuck in a trap.
DeleteOf course, I'm a cat person! We have three tuxedo siblings, Mama, Bug and Gray, found on the street in Revere, and a German Shepherd, Magnolia (Maggie Mae). We're buried in fur, and love every minute of it. Great stories, thanks, Kat
ReplyDeleteI'm a lifelong cat lady and know they are the BEST company (much better than humans, most days). Jenn -- please rescue the mama kitty in addition to your babies -- I'm sure she needs a good home, too.
ReplyDeleteAfter years of loving a multitude of cats I developed serious allergies. For my golden years I have an animatronic cat named Poppy. She's a sweetie!
ReplyDelete